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2025-03-31-accounts

Council for Learning Outside the Classroom

(A Company Limited by Guarantee)

Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statements Year Ended 31 March 2025

(Charity Number 1127802)

Company Registration Number: 06778701 (England & Wales)

‘ Council for Learning Outside the Classroom

Contents

Page

Reference and administrative details 1
Trustees’ annual report 2
Independentexaminer's reporton the financial statements 13
Statement ofFinancial Activities incorporating Income& Expenditure Account 14
Balance Sheet 15
Notestothe Financial Statements, incorporating:
Statement ofAccounting Policies 16
OtherNotestotheFinancialStatements 19

~ Council for Learning Outside the Classroom

Page 1

Reference and Administrative Details

The trustees present their report and the financial statements of the charity for the period ended 31 March 2025.

Charityname Council for Learning Outside theClassroom
Registered charitynumber 1127802
CompanyRegistration Number 06778701
Registered office andoperational address CLOtCHead Office
Preston Montford
Montford Bridge
Shrewsbury
SY4 IHW
Appointed /
reappointed Resigned
Trustees Steven Dool — Chair until Nov24 19/11/2024
David Scourfield - Interim Chair from Nov 24
Justin Dillon
lan McInnes
Gilt Harvey
Louise Edwards
Felix Pepler
Simon Ward
Kate Lodge
Martin Campbell 19/11/2024
ClaireWilliams 19/11/2024
Rachel Linkletter 19/11/2024
ChiefExecutive Officer Anne Hunt
independentExaminer Mr Darren Little
Saint and Co
The Old Police Station
Church Street
Ambleside
Cumbria
LA22 OBT
Bankers CAF Bank 25 Kings
Hill Avenue
Kings Hill
West Malling
Kent
ME194JQ

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. Council for Learning Outside the Classroom

Trustees’ Report for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

The Trustees are pleased to present their annual Director's Report together with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2025 which are also prepared to meet the requirements for a Director's Report and accounts for Companies Act purposes.

The financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006, the Memorandum and Articles of Association, and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) .

Chair's Report

Dear members and partners,

As | step down as interim Chair covering the past 10 months, | feel it fitting to look both back andforward: what has been and what is to come.

in that spirit, | would like to express my continued thanks to Steve Dool, the previous Chair of Trustees. in his time as Chair, Steve guided CLOtC to put in place the structures necessary for it to be in the stronger more consolidated position that it is now, enabling us to now start to enter an exciting growth phase. ! would also like to express my thanks to the CEO and all of the officers of CLOtC. They continue to work incredibly hard, the results of those labours far in excess of what might normally be achievable by such a small team of people. This really is testament to their professionalism, expertise and dedication. | know that they are held in high regard by all those they support.

Following the extensive review of the LOtC Quality Badge, | am very pleased to note that feedback from applicants for the LOtC Quality Badge under the ‘everyday risk’ part of the scheme shows that the supportive framework and increased rigour introduced is helping providers to identify and address gaps in their risk management procedures. This continues to ensure that providers holding the LOtC Quality Badge have robust systems in place and are aware of and meeting the needs of current legislative requirements.

Another huge step forward over this period has been the development and testing of our Learning Beyond packages for schools/settings, which are now well evidenced to support schools/settings to embed learning beyond the classroom into their everyday policy and practice and to deliver a positive impact on multiple outcomes for schools, teachers and students. Furthermore, this support is low cost and works quickly and at scale. Release of the impact reportfor our project with 500 schools in areas of deprivation in the West Midlands was a highlight in 2024.

CLOtC continues to play an important role in liaising with government and other national organisations, and this year has playeda significant role in raising the need for clarification of published guidance where needed to ensure that it is both accurate and appropriate for the sector.

Our biggest challenge for 2024/2025 was that ourfinancial budget was very tight with no room for underperformance. This situation was expected and planned for, as a result of some significant pieces of work that needed to be undertaken in previous years to future proof the organisation. The LOtC Quality Badge review and the new CLOtC website and CRM were 2 examples of this, both now embedded and working well. Again, thanks to Steve for boldly supporting the staff when they identified the need for investing in these and other developments as a foundation for growth. There is still further development work planned to deliver greaterfinancial viability going forward, including reviewing and testing revised operating models for the LOtC Quality Badge scheme, and this will be part of the next phase I’m sure.

With that, now is the appropriate moment to look forward and to welcome Jim Burt, the incoming Chair of Trustees. Jim probably needs no introduction, being very well known already in the outdoor sector, having produced seminal work in his previous roles for English Nature, and later Natural England and most recently for the National Academy for Social Prescribing. Jim has the strategic vision to lead CLOtCforwards as it enters its growth phase.

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aler David Scourfield
interim Chair
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~ Council for Learning Outside the Classroom

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Trustees’ Report for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

Objectives and Activities

Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document

The main aim of the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom (as stated in its Memorandum of Association) is: To promote and champion learning outside the classroom to enable all children and young people and adults to benefit from increased opportunities for high-quality and varied educational experiences.

CLOtC's mission is to ensure every child and young person has the opportunity to experience and benefit from the world beyond the classroom as an essential part of their learning and development, whatever their age, ability or background.

The Council is committed to enabling all children and young people to access the benefits of learning outside the classroom, regularly, frequently, and in ways that allow a progression of experiences. We were set up as a charity to:

The Council is built upon a partnership of stakeholders who come together to further the principles of LOtC. This partnership gives us a unique foundation of support and knowledge that empowers us to fulfil our aims.

The Council was set up in 2009 in response to an Education Select Committee and to take forward the aims of the Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto, and as such has previously articulated in its annual reports a range of responsibilities including the following long list: -

CLOtC receives no core funding and remains under-resourced to perform this wide range of responsibilities. Our strategy (202024) was to review, consolidate, and ensure our services were fit for purpose. During 24/25 we continued focusing on three core areas of CLOtC delivery:

The staff and Trustee Board have worked together to continue developments in each of these 3 core areas, and to identify and start to begin to secure the resources necessary to strengthen the charity through growth.

. Council for Learning Outside the Classroom

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Trustees' Report for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

The Council has a Board of Trustees which includes:

Eight Trustees elected by the membership - four members drawn from the user constituency (for example, governors, parents, teachers), and four for members drawn from the provider constituency (for example, providers of creative experiences, adventurous activities). Others can be co-opted as needed.

3 new appointments were made at the 2024 AGM.

Objectives and activities for the Public Benefit

The Trustees have given consideration to the charity commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the objectives and in planning for future activities.

Trustees’ responsibilities in relation to the financial statements

Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company at the balance sheet date and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including the statement of financial activities for the financial year. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to:

Observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;

The trustees are responsible for maintaining proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enables them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. The trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the charity's assets and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

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. Council for Learning Outside the Classroom

Trustees’ Report for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

Structure, Governance and Management

Governing Document

The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom (CLOtC) is a Company Limited by Guarantee which means that each Board Member (Trustee) has to pay up to EIO if the company needed resources upon winding up. The Company is also a Registered Charity.

The Company is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association dated 22 December 2008, the date the charity was incorporated.

The board of trustees administers the charity. It comprises of people with the necessary skills and experience to manage the work of the charity gained from educational, provider and user backgrounds. It meets as a minimum four times each year.

A Chief Executive Officer is appointed by the trustees to manage the charity's day to day operations.

The trustees have a risk management policy and risk register which continually reviews the risks the charity may face. The main risks are financial, as the lack of core funding and rising costs require an increasingly large need to raise funds to cover all operating, and development costs, including operation and development of the complex, costly and yet vitally important LOtC Quality Badge scheme. This continues to present a lack of financial security. The trustees are working on these issues and supporter and fundraising strategies, and development plan, are in place to mitigate the risk both in the short term and going forward.

In addition to the Board, which is responsible for making strategic decisions for the charity, the Council also has one committee with specific delegation of authority for finance and audit.

The Finance and Audit Committee covers legal, finance and HR issues, and includes keeping the governance of the Council under review. This continued to meet monthly during this financial year.

A member of the Board also chairs the LOtC Quality Badge Working Group which has no formal role in the charity governance but helps bring insight and guidance to assist with: strategic development of the LOtC Quality Badge; approval and monitoring of Awarding Bodies; development of the quality indicators; dealing with complaints. This met every 3-4 months and over this period.

Members’ Liability

Members of the Board of Trustees, who are directors for the purpose of company faw and Trustees for the purpose of charity law, who served during the year and up to the date of this report are set out on the reference and administration page.

Board Members of the charitable company guarantee to contribute an amount not exceeding £10 to the assets of the charitable company in the event of winding up.

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. Council for Learning Outside the Classroom

Trustees' Report for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

Achievements and Performance

Annual performance review

As flagged in the 23/24 annual report and accounts, the 2024-2025 financial year was always going to be very challenging and one dominated by a tight focus on cash flow and delivering a balanced budget despite reduced staff capacity, and this is reflected in these annual report and accounts.

After building cash reserves and investing them in essential developments, and operating with reduced staff capacity in several of the previous years, the Trustees and Staff agreed the need to plan and deliver a balanced budget for 24-25 and to return to full staff capacity. This meant that our approved budget and forecast for 24/25 maintained a low cash flow position throughout the financial year, which allowed no room for underperformance. Performance was even more challenged as the Communications and Marketing Officer went on maternity leave for the majority of the 24/25 financial year and we were not able to afford to recruit maternity cover.

Our annual budgeting over the last few years has proved very reliable. Thanks to an exceptionally dedicated, skilled and adaptable team we were able to deliver the 24/25 budget and furthermore to return a closing cash balance that was above the original budget. This is then reflected in the starting cash position of the 25/26 financial accounts and it allowed us to adopt a budget for 25/26 budget that is both balanced and maintains a cash reserve that is in fine with charity commission guidelines and protects us from the considerable risks of hoiding very low cash reserves. Further increasing our cash reserves and resilience remains a charity priority going forward.

With several years of essential developments now complete, we are operationally in a much stronger position to enter our next phase which is to deliver growth and greater financial security. For example, increasing the rigour of the LOtC Quality Badge scheme and working with teaching unions to update their guidance for schools appears to be translating into a steady increase in the number of schools actively requesting that the providers they work with hold the LOtC Quality Badge. Similarly, developing our LOtC Badge and LOtC Mark schemes for providers and for schools/settings respectively into frameworks for supporting them to develop their own practice has greatly increased their value and hence interest in using them.

A short summary of headlines and highlights from 2024/25, pius additional notes at the time of writing, are presented below, and should be read alongside the financial overview.

Personnel

Trustee Board

This year our Chair Steven Dool retired at the 2024 AGM after 2 terms as Chair. He was succeeded by our Deputy Chair David Scourfield who has stepped in as Interim Chair until Sept 2025 when he is due to retire. A new Chair Elect, Jim Burt, was appointed and is now working with the team to effect a handover from David Scourfield.

Staffing

This year we set a budget to retain a core staff team of a part time CEO, Awards and CPD Manager, Communications and Marketing Manager, anda full time Business Support Coordinator. We also maintained employment of 2 further part time roles, a LOtC Quality Badge Adviser and a Project and Events Coordinator, and of course the team of our many assessors. The Trustees and CEO are indebted to our dedicated and skilled staff and assessors for their ongoing support and passion and the way they continue to work creatively in tine with constantly changing school and provider needs and charity funding constraints.

We are grateful for the pro bono HR support being offered by Lewis Silkin, and for pro-bono assessment support from Jake Wiid.

° Council for Learning Outside the Classroom

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Trustees’ Report for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

Headlines of our achievements and challenges are given below:

improving our offer to support schools/educational settings to adopt a LOtC approach

Our package for educational settings - Learning Beyond - was launched in 2023 with 3 levels of support: CLOtC Membership, LOtC Mark Direct, and LOtC Mentoring. New for the 24/25 financial year was the launch of an online Learning Management Platform for all schools working on their LOtC Mark framework either via the LOtC Mark Direct or Mentoring routes.

School Membership

Our relatively new CRM and website continued to offer better access to member resources, including online CPD, learning Beyond Guides, and newsletters. Three new Learning Beyond Guides were developed to support us shift focus towards recruitment rather than just retention of members. 2024/2025 saw us plan and deliver our first ever direct mailing campaign to all schools in England, with the support of Buzz Education. All three Guides were sent to all schools in England, and we are now planning a follow up with another new set of Guides. 100 free memberships for schools were made available thanks to the Canal and River Trust and People’s Postcode Lottery. These sold out within a few days so we are now planning a second round with thanks to the partners. As school time to attend live online CPD and training is limited, our training offer for school members remains pre-recorded and available to watch on demand and focuses on sharing good practice. We continue to look for ways to help us translate our resources for schools into Welsh language versions, not least as there appears to be considerable demand.

LOtC Mark Direct

The LOtC Mark Direct offers schools/settings a ‘do it yourself online support package, with access to a self-assessment ‘progress tracker’ and an online learning platform which includes heipful guides, videos, and case studies. This provides schools with a framework and tools to help them audit, plan, and evidence the development of LOtC policy and practice across their whole setting, and in a way that meets their own unique needs and circumstances. We will continue to work with schools and other educational settings to find ways to simplify and improve this support so that it is as easy as possible to embed LOtC into their own teaching practice. Most notable for 2024/25 was our work with a whole academy trust, the Meridian Trust, so that all 31 of its schools could use the LOtC Mark framework to help them deliver and celebrate their commitment to extending their curriculum. It is a credit to the Trust that all its secondary and SEND schools achieved their LOtC Mark within 12 months; many of their primary schools have also achieved their LOtC Mark and the remainder are still working towards it. This has helped demonstrate that LOtC Mark Direct is a very cost effective and flexible support package for schools to develop their own LOtC policy and practice.

As 24/25 operated without a Communications and Marketing Officer there was no active promotion of the LOtC Mark. However, at time of writing there are 170 schools that either hold the award or are working towards it and we continue to receive new applications. We are now looking to start promotions and recruit more assessors. Meanwhile we have created and are testing LOtC Mark Direct resources specifically for initiat teacher training students at 2 universities.

. Council for Learning Outside the Classroom

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Trustees’ Report for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

LOtC Mentoring

The LOtC Mentoring route offers schoois all the LOtC Mark Direct resources, but with the additional support of a peer mentor from another LOtC Mark school or project officer to help them to work through their progress tracker and action plan.

Schools who achieve the LOtC Mark are able to become 'LOtC Hubs’ and offer mentoring to other schools. Further LOtC hubs are being recruited, along with LOtC Mark assessors, to increase capacity to deliver the Mentoring programme and Mark assessments.

2024/25 saw the release of the impact report of our special project in partnership with Canal and River Trust and Green Recovery Challenge Fund and over 500 schools in areas of deprivation in the West Midlands. As anticipated, this was able to confirm that offering our core package of CPD and mentoring to develop LOtC policy and practice delivered a positive impact, on multiple outcomes for students and teachers, including validated scale measures for wellbeing, learning, nature connectedness and pro-conservation behaviours. It also reported that teachers were able to take more of their teaching and learning out beyond the classroom more often, with the subject most regularly taught outside shifting from PE to Science in just 18 months. This project was focused on enabling learning outside the classroom in local natural environments, however the CPD and mentoring that schools received was designed to ensure that all types of LOtC were audited, planned and developed. Many of the 70 schools who received mentoring achieved their own LOtC Mark award, celebrating their rapid progress during the project. To build on school demand, a legacy project funded by the Canal and River Trust allowed us to offer ongoing mentoring to 18 project schools in 2024/5, resulting in 6 more Gold, 3 more Silver, and 3 more Bronze awards. This project was instrumental in confirming the success of our CPD and mentoring model in supporting schools facing challenging circumstances to embed LOtC into their teaching practice and for this to have a significant positive impact on teaching, learning, wellbeing, and environmental outcomes.

Delivering the legacy project meant LOtC Hubs were busy supporting other schools so we did not actively promote the mentoring programme during 24/25. Recruiting more mentors and assessors is a priority going forward.

improving our offer so more providers are quality assured for their LOtC delivery

LOtC Quality Badge

Review of the LOtC Quality Badge scheme confirmed the high value that schools and their employers place on it for supporting delivery of educational visits. The review had also identified ways for us to improve the scheme, particularly in relation to the need for greater consistency across the different Awarding Bodies, and to ensure that our assessment processes best meet the needs of both providers and educational settings. In 24/25 we were able to finatise revisions to the Quality Indicators and Partnership Agreements with Awarding Bodies. The changes made ensured the scheme was ready for us to shift from a focus purely on retention to promotions for growth. This included creation and distribution of a staff room poster to schools and promotions to all teaching unions. At time of writing we are seeing an uplift in new applications, and applicants who had previously withdrawn now returning to the scheme. Notable for 24/25 is that we were able to halt the previous longstanding trend of declining numbers of Badge holders, despite several large multisite providers withdrawing from the scheme due to closure or a fundamental change in their delivery model. We were delighted to receive support form the NEU towards the operating costs of the LOtC Quality Badge scheme.

As with the LOtC Mark, we have developed the LOtC Quality Badge scheme and resources so that they offer a development framework to help providers have everything in place to meet their school/settings’ needs, and also to identify ways to improve their practice. Also notable for 24/25 is the growing number of supportive comments from providers about how useful they find working through the application process as a way to identify where and how their policies and practices do not meet required standards or could be improved. We find the need to work with about 50% of applicants because either their safeguarding policies or procedures are out of date or there are issues to do with their building compliance. Our support to help them understand where and how to address these gaps is an integral part of the application process and fee.

° Council for Learning Outside the Classroom

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Trustees' Report for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

A priority for 25/26 is securing extra resource to develop and test alternative operating model/s for the LOtC Quality Badge scheme, so that we can balance the increasing cost of subsidising the scheme through CLOtC’s own charitable activities whilst still maintaining this unique and valued service for schools and their employers.

Provider/organisational Membership

Our provider membership offer is still relatively new and includes live CPD events which continue to prove popular. CLOtC Membership fees play a really important role in supporting the costs of operating the LOtC Quality Badge scheme, so maintaining and growing our provider/organisational membership is key to the ongoing operation of the LOtC Quality Badge scheme. Renewal rates for our various provider member categories remain excellent, reflecting the value of the membership offer and what it enables.

Special Projects and Events

As above, this year saw release of the impact report from our work with schools and the Canal and River Trust as part of the Waterways, Wildlife and Wellbeing project funded by the Green Recovery Challenge Fund. This project allowed us to support over 500 schools in areas of high deprivation in the West Midlands with free CLOtC membership; and of those nearly 300 were funded to take part in mentoring or other additional training to help them embed LOtC. The CPD and training offer included: hands on nature connection and conservation activities around local intand waterways, Visit Leader Training in partnership with local Outdoor Education/Education Visit Advisers, and new and innovative CPD on Nature Connectedness for teachers. As above, this support resulted in increases (some of them statistically significant) in pupil wellbeing, learning, and proenvironmental outcomes using validated measures, and in many positive outcomes for teachers and schools too. The latter included success in embedding LOtC across whole school teaching practice and teachers reported more subjects being taught regularly beyond the classroom more often. It also established an ongoing and valued partnership between CLOtC and Canal and River Trust, which both partners continue to value for adding value to each other’s reach and impact (watch this space for more information on our latest project which is exploring how to support schools to make their after school clubs more physically active by using local natural environments.)

We ran another successful annual conference in November 2024 thanks to our sponsors the Canal and River Trust, Warner Brothers Studio Tours, and PGL Beyond. For the first time, we ran the conference at a school, hosted by the Meridian Trust. The conference explored the theme of Supporting Students to Thrive, with plenary discussions focusing on developing skills and wellbeing. The detegates made used of the school spaces inside and out while the students went on a day learning beyond the classroom with focal LOtC Quality Badge holders — so we practiced what we preach. The day wasa sell out with 300 delegates, 26 exhibitors, and excellent feedback.

We worked with providers and schools to offer ongoing annual programmes of online CPD. Schools were offered live good practice sessions which were recorded so any school members can access them on demand. The live monthly provider CPD is proving really popular, and included topics such as marketing to schools, sustainability, critical incident planning, fundraising, and risk management. Sessions on fundamentally important topics are offered free to all LOtC Quality Badge holders and applicants too.

Communications

Our small team strives to ensure that our members and sector partner continue to have access to the very latest guidance regarding educational visits and learning beyond the classroom, including guidance from Westminster and the Welsh government. The website and CRM continue to improve our ability to communicate effectively with our many different audience groups and stakeholders.

Our Communications and Marketing Manager was on maternity leave for most of the 2024/25 financial year and our challenging budget meant that we were unable to recruit a replacement. Our communications and marketing were limited to the essential routine tasks and those covered elsewhere in this report. We are delighted to have this role back in 25/26 as we move into our growth phase.

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Trustees’ Report for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

Advocacy

As usual there is ongoing work with and on behalf of all the LOtC sectors we represent to champion the role of LOtC.

In terms of policy influencing, CLOtC chairs a relatively new Department for Education (Df) liaison group for LOtC, which exists to provide ongoing expert support on LOtC. This year we greatly increased the number of different DfE teams who have an interest in LOtC for its role in supporting their priorities. CLOtC also contributes as a member to DfE's Out of School Settings Working Group. We hosteda site visit for members of this team and the DfE Enrichment team in December 2024, showcasing the role of LOtC and the LOtC Quality Badge scheme, and highlighting opportunities for it to be adapted for use in other contexts. We were delighted to receive a very supportive letter from the Minister for School Standards in early 2025. Our policy ask is simple — that there is greater recognition that learning can and should happen beyond as well as inside the classroom. This was reflected in our response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, and in our contributions to consultations on Enrichment and safeguarding in Out of School Settings. Increasingly we are seeing that is equally important to reinforce that LOtC can and does happen on and off school site, during and beyond the school day, and is used to support statutory and nonstatutory delivery. LOtC is unique for its ability to deliver multiple co-benefits and to help schools connect to all the other sites and services that support children and young people in their community, and we were delighted to partner with the Centre for Young Lives on with a proposal for a demonstration project on this theme.

This year we also started to review and develop work with our CLOtC sector partnership groups, so that these can help us facilitate coherent messaging and drive up standards across the many different and diverse sectors that CLOtC champions. In 24/25 we began this process by working with the Nature, Countryside, and Farming Sector Partnership, updating its terms of reference and membership.

Staff and trustees continue to attend key national networking events where capacity allows, such as those hosted by sector partners and on key regional events. We also work with partners on an in individual basis as capacity and priority allows, for example we worked closely with members of OEAP to help the NASUWT rewrite their educational visit guidance for schools so that it aligns with national guidance.

Supporter income

The 2024-25 financial year was always set to be a more challenging year financially and hence included a supporter income target of £60k to achieve a balanced budget. Our fundraising strategy and supporter pipeline helped us to achieve this and target support for our 3 strategic delivery areas: Quality Assurance, CPD and Training, and Advocacy and Facilitation. This year included joint bids with partners such as the Canal and River Trust, Royal Entomological Society, and the RSPB. We look forward to working with more partners going forward. We were delighted to receive support from the NEU which is helping offset some of the considerable costs to CLOtC of operating the LOtC Quality Badge scheme.

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Council for Learning Outside the Classroom Trustees’ Report for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 Financial Review

Financial review

Reserves Policy

The Trustees examined the charity's requirement for reserves in light of the main risks to the organisation.

The Trustees adopted the policy that unrestricted funds not committed and held by the charity should cover, in the event of it being wound up due to lack of funding, the equivalent of 3 months running costs including salaries, redundancy, notice pay, and related costs. This policy was used actively for guidance in 20/21. In line with pre-pandemic ambition, the intention is to move to holding a 6-month reserve as soon as possible.

The Trustees aim to ensure the continuation of core activities in the event of a significant drop in income.

Trustees review this and other policies as a minimum oncea year.

Funds in Deficit

There are no funds in deficit.

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"Council for Learning Outside the Classroom

Trustees' Report for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

Principal Risks and Uncertainties

Financial and Risk Management Objectives and Policies

The Trustees of the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom (CLOtC) take their governance responsibilities very seriously and as part of the efficient and effective operations of the charity continue to plan, monitor and review risk management in full. CLOtC has adopted the 5-stage process recommended by The Charity Commission in its guidance. Trustees discuss risk during Board meetings before any new strategic direction is agreed and have produced a risk management plan, which includes quarterly risk identification and assessment following input from both staff and trustees. Each risk is assessed on the basis of the likelihood of occurrence and the severity of the risk; and Trustees have considered what action needs to be taken to manage major risks. The risk management plan and risk register is reviewed at each Board meeting and Trustees are satisfied that systems and procedures are in place to manage the major risks to which the charity is exposed.

Plans for Future Periods

CLOtC’s current priority remains to deliver our charitable purpose by securing the future of CLOtC, and by showing leadership for building capacity so that more schools /settings and LOtC providers are able to deliver better outcomes for children and young people. Our 3 areas of strategic delivery are: Quality Assurance, Training and CPD, and Advocacy and Facilitation. We remain committed to working closely with partners to further mutual! aims to ensure that LOtC is widely recognised for its role in supporting positive learning, health, and wellbeing outcomes for children and young people and adults in all contexts, especially for those who could benefit the most. 25/26 is already offering the opportunity to begin to achieve greater coherence in how schools are currently being directed to plan, deliver, assess, and fund LOtC activities. The supporter income development pipeline is being delivered to help us diversify our income, increase our reserves, and support the number of staff we need to operate, develop, and grow. There are considerable challenges ahead as we transition to a new and more viable operating model. We continue to work closely with Outdoor Education Advisers/Education Visit Advisers where possible to strengthen and increase the national and local support offered to schools and providers, not least as our review confirmed the value of the LOtC Quality Badge scheme in supporting schools and their employers deliver educational visits. We also continue to consolidate and improve our core offer as detailed in the Achievements and Performance section.

Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report at their meeting and signed on its behalf by:

LA) Mr Dave Scourfield Interim Chair

Date

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Independent Examiner's Report on the Financial Statements to the Trustees of Council for Learning

Outside the Classroom

| report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity for the year ended 31 March 2025.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity's trustees of the Company {and also its directors for the purpose of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (‘the 2006 Act’).

The charity's trustees consider that an audit is not required for the year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and that an independent examination is appropriate.

Having satisfied myseff that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, | report in respect of my examination of your charity's accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act'). In carrying out my examination | have followed the directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5}{b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner's statement

| have completed my examination. i confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination (other than that disclosed below) which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

| have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

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Saint & Co Chartered Accountants & Statutory Auditors The Old Police Station Church Street Ambleside Cumbria LA22 OBT

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Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

(Including Income and Expenditure Account)

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||||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |Unrestricted|Restricted|Endowment|Total|Total| |Funds|General|Funds|2025|2024| |Funds| |Note|£|£|£|£|£| |income|and|endowments from:| |Donations|2|22,383|22,383|2,433| |Charitable|activities|2|170,978|170,978|154,508| |Other trading|activities|-|-|-| |Investments|2|325|325|365| |Total|—293,68602 L193, 686|___15 7,306| |Expenditure on:| |Raising funds|3|-|-|-| |Charitable|activities|3|213,756|213,756|209,898| |Other trading|activities|-|-|-| |Total|213,756|TL|213,756|__—209,9|8| |Net income / (expenditure)|before|{20,070)|-|-|(20,070)|(52,592}| |investment gains/{losses)| |Net|gains/(losses} on|investments|-|-|-| |Net income|/ (expenditure)|(20,070)|-|-|(20,070)|(52,592)| |Transfers|between|funds|:|-|-|-|-| |Other recognised|gains and|(losses)| |Other|gains/({losses)|-|-|-| |Net movement|in funds|(20,070)|-|-|(20,070)|{52,592)| |Reconciliation|of funds| |Total|funds|brought|forward|10|32,717|-|-|32,717|85,309| |Total funds carried forward|10|12,647|-|-|12,647|32,717|

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All of the charity's activities derive from continuing operations during the above financial periods.

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Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2025

Company Number 06778701

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||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |2025|2025|2024|2024| |Note|£|£|£|£| |Fixed|assets| |Tangible|assets|7|-|-| |Investments|-|-| |Current|assets| |Stock|-|-| |Debtors|8|6,297|18,295| |Cash|at|bank|and|in|hand|53,754|53,235| |60,051|71,530| |Liabilities| |Creditors: Amount falling due|within one year|9|(47,404)|(38,813)| |Net current assets|12,647|32,717| |Total assets less current|liabilities|12,647|32,717| |Creditors: Amount|falling due|after one year|-|-| |Total|net assets less current|liabilities|12,647|32,717| |Funds of the academy trust:| |Unrestricted funds|12,647|32,717| |Restricted|funds|-|.| |Endowment|funds|-|-| |Total funds|10|12,647|32,717|

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The Company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ending 31 March 2025.

The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.

The Trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for:

These accounts are prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small entities.

Approved by the Board of Directors and signed on its behalf by:

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-y=
Interim Chair
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Date

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Page 16

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

1. Statement of Accounting Policies

A summary of the principal accounting policies adopted (which have been applied consistently, except where noted), judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty, is set out below.

Legal Status

The charity is a company limited by guarantee and has no share capital. Its directors are its trustees and vice versa.

Basis of Preparation

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Accounting and Reporting by Charities; Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective | st January 2019) — (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note(s).

The charity meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102.

The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the entity.

Financial Statements

The accounts comprise two primary statements supported by notes. These statements are:

These accounts are prepared on an accruals basis and include income and expenditure as they are earned or incurred, rather than as cash is received or paid.

Going Concern

The accounts are prepared on the going concern basis, the trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the Charity’s ability to continue as a going concern.

Income

Income is included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA) when:

¢ the charity becomes entitled to the resources;

¢ it is more likely than not that the trustees will receive the resources; and

All incoming resources are included in the Statement of Financial Activity when the charity is legally entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy.

Grants receivable are credited to income upon entitlement.

Donated Services and Facilities

Donated services or facilities are recognised as income when the charity has control over the item, any condition associated with the donated item have been met, the receipt of the economic benefit from use by the charity of the item is probable and that economic benefit can be measured reliably. On receipt donated services and facilities are recognised on the base of the value of the gift to the charity which is the amount the charity would have been willing to pay to obtain services or facilities of equivalent economic benefit on the open market, a corresponding amount is then recognised in expenditure in the period of receipt.

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Council for Learning Outside the Classroom

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

  1. Statement of Accounting Policies (Continued)

Resources Expended

All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with use of the resources. Irrecoverable VAT is included as a cost of the applicable expenditure.

Support costs are those costs incurred directly in support of expenditure on the objects of the charity and include project management carried out at Headquarters.

Governance costs are those incurred in connection with administration of the charity and compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements.

Tangible fixed assets and depreciation

Tangible fixed assets costing more than £500 are capitalised and included at cost (in the case of donated assets the fair value at the date of acquisition) including any incidental expenses of acquisition.

Depreciation is provided on all tangible fixed assets at rates calculated to write off the cost over their expected useful economic lives as follows:

Fixtures, Fittings and Equipment 25% per annum, straight line

Company Limited by Guarantee

The company is limited by guarantee and in the event of it being wound up every member is liable to contribute a sum not exceeding £10. There are no shares of any class, either authorised or allocated.

Debtors

Debtors (including trade debtors and loans receivable) are measured on initial recognition at settlement amount after any trade discounts or amount advanced by the charity. Subsequently, they are measured at the cash or other consideration expected to be received.

Liability recognition

Liabilities are recognised where it is more likely than not that there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to pay out resources and the amount of the obligation can be measured with reasonable certainty.

Provisions for liabilities

A liability is measured on recognition at its historical cost and then subsequently measured at the best estimate of the amount required to settle the obligation at the reporting date

Basic financial instruments

The charity accounts for basic financial instruments on initial recognition as per paragraph 10.7 FRS 102 SORP. Subsequent measurement is as per paragraphs 11.17 to 11.19, FRS 102 SORP.

Pension Scheme

The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme. The assets of the scheme are held outside the charity in independently administered funds. Contributions payable for the year are shown within the financial statements.

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Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

1. Statement of Accounting Policies (Continued)

Fund Accounting

The charity’s accounts are divided into legally distinct categories which are defined as follows:

¢ Unrestricted or General funds

e Restricted funds

Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the charity for particular purposes. The cost of raising and administering such funds are charged against the specific fund. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.

Investment income and gains are allocated to the appropriate fund.

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Page 19

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

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||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |2.|Analysis of income| |Unrestricted|Restricted|Endowment|Total|Total| |Funds|General|Funds|2025|2024| |Funds| |Donations and|legacies:| |Donations|2,383|-|-|2,383|2,433| |Conference sponsorship|20,000|-|-|20,000|-| |22,383|-|-|22,383|2,433| |Previous year total|2,433|-|-|2,433| |Charitable|activities:| |Grants| |Canal|and|River Trust|-|-|-|-|30,000| |Natural|England|-|-|-|-|4,999| |income|from|Charitable|Activities| |Membership|subscriptions|36,672|-|-|36,672|31,119| |LOtC|Quality|Badge|81,202|-|-|$1,202|86,941| |Conference|income|38,566|-|-|38,566|750| |CPD Training &|Support|1,038|-|-|1,038|699| |Other Contracted Work and Admin|Fees|13,500|-|-|13,500|-| |Mentoring|-|-|-|>|-| |Other income|=|:|-|ee| |170,978|-|-|170,978|154,508| |Previous year total|154,508|-|-|154,508| |Income from|investments:| |Interest|income|325|-|-|325|365| |Other|eo| |325|-|-|325|365| |Previous year total|365|-|-|365|

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Page 20

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

3. Expenditure
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment Total Total
Funds General Funds 2025 2024
Funds
Expenditure on raisingfunds:
Previousyeartotal - - - -
Expenditureoncharitable activities:
Direct -General operations
Staffcosts 142,839 - - 142,839 164,305
Consultants 3,000 - - 3,000 -
Project related expenditure 4,500 - - 4,500 1,025
Travel & subsistence 2,563 - - 2,563 2,583
Conference costs 13,232 - - 13,232 -
Quality accreditations costs 23,590 - - 23,590 17,280
Training&CPDcosts 300 - - 300 655
Insurance 2,228 - - 2,228 2,048
ITsupport 4,191 - - 4,191 4,266
ITreplacement 165 - - 165 686
Website costs 2,354 - - 2,354 3,102
Officeexpenses and storage costs 4,358 - - 4,358 4,515
Legal fees and subscriptions - - - - -
Bankcharges 786 - - 786 561
Trustees’ expenses and meeting costs 255 - - 255 41
204,361 - - 204,361 201,067
Support Costs
Examinersfeesand accountancy 2,297 - - 2,297 2,016
Payroll support - - - - 696
Financesupport 7,098 - - 7,098 6,119
9,395 - - 9,395 8,831
Totalexpenditure 213,756 - - 213,756 209,898
Previousyeartotal 209,898 - - 209,898
4. Feesforexaminationofthe accounts Total Total
2025 2024
Current examiner's fees
Independentexaminer's fees 1,768 1,512
Otherfees (for example: financial advice, consultancy, accountancy services) paid tothe 7,627 6,624
independentexaminer
9,395 8,136

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Council for Learning Outside the Classroom

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Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

5. Staffcosts Total Total
2025 2024
The total staffcostsandemployee benefitsforthe reportingperiod are analysed asfollows:
Wagesand salaries 129,457 149,145
Employers’ national insurance 6,493 8,050
Employer pension contributions 6,889 7,110
142,839 164,305
Noemployee received employee benefitsofmorethan£60,000 duringthe year (2024: Nil).
Theaveragenumberofstafffortheyear was: 2025 2024
6 _
6
6
Thenumberofemployeestowhom retirement benefitswere accruingwas asfollows: 2025 2024
6
—_
2025 2024
Keymanagement personnel 46,265 46,265
46,265 46,265

6. Trustee remuneration and expenses

No remuneration was paid directly or indirectly out of the funds of the charity for the year to any trustee or to any person or persons known to be connected with any of them.

-~-

x

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Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

7.
TangibleFixedAssets
Freehold Furniture
Land& Motor Fittings& IcT Total
Buildings Vehicles Equipment Equipment
Cost £ £ £ £ £
Asat01 April 2024 - - 4,481 - 4,481
Additions - - - - -
Disposals - - - - :
As at31 March 2025 - - 4,481 - 4,481
Depreciation
Asat01 April 2024 - - 4,481 - 4,481
Charge in year - - - - -
Disposals : : - - -
As at31 March 2025 - - 4,481 - 4,481
Netbookvalues
As at31 March 2025 : ° : - -
Asat01April2024 - - - : -

x

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Council for Learning Outside the Classroom

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

8.
Debtors
2025 2024
£ £
Tradedebtors 4,640 18,295
Prepayments 1,657 -
Accrued income - -
Other debtors - -
6,297 18,295
9.
Creditors:Amounts FallingdueWithin OneYear
2025 2024
£ £
Trade creditors 516 1,957
Taxation and social securitycreditors 2,569 2,939
Other creditors - -
Accruals 2,734 2,016
Deferred income 41,585 31,901
47,404 38,813
Deferred Income 2025 2024
£ £
Accrualsand deferred income includes:
Deferred income at 1 April 2024 31,901 27,607
Resourcesdeferred intheyear 41,585 31,901
Amounts releasedfrom previous years (31,901) (27,607)
Deferred income at 31 March 2025 41,585 31,901
Deferred incomecomprises:
Membership in advance 22,035 23,801
Conference income in advance 19,550 8,100
Grantfunding in advance - -
41,585 31,901

s

3

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Council for Learning Outside the Classroom

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

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||||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |10.|Funds|Balance|at|Incoming|Resources|Gains,|Losses|Balance|at| |01-Apr|resources|expended|and|Transfers|31-Mar| |2024|2025| |£|£|£|£|£| |Restricted|General|Funds| |Restricted|general|funds|-|-|-|-|-| |Other|funds|-|-|-|-|-| |Total|Restricted|Funds|-|-|-|-|-| |Unrestricted|Funds| |General|funds|32,717|193,686|(213,756)|-|12,647| |Total Unrestricted Funds|32,717|193,686|(213,756)|-|12,647| |Total Funds|32,717|193,686|(213,756)|-|12,647|

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The specific purposes for which the funds are to be applied are as follows:

General Funds

Funds are to there to be available to provide a productive return over time in support of the charity's aims.

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||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |Comparative information|in|respect of the|preceding|period|is|as follows:| |Balance|at|Incoming|Resources|Gains,|Losses|Balance|at| |01-Apr|resources|expended|and Transfers|31-Mar| |2023|2024| |£|£|£|£|£| |Restricted|General|Funds| |Restricted|general|funds|-|-|-|-|-| |Other|funds|-|-|-|-|-| |Total|Restricted|Funds|:|-|-|-|-| |Unrestricted|Funds| |General|funds|85,309|157,306|(209,898)|-|32,717| |Total Unrestricted|Funds|85,309|157,306|(209,898)|-|32,717| |Total Funds|85,309|157,306|(209,898)|-|32,717|

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a

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Council for Learning Outside the Classroom

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

11. Analysis of Net Assets Between Funds

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||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |Fund|balances at 31|March|2025|are represented|by:|Restricted|Restricted| |Unrestricted|General|Fixed|Asset|Total| |Funds|Funds|Funds|Funds| |£|£|£|£| |Tangible fixed|assets|-|-|-|-| |Investments|-|-|-|-| |Current|assets|60,051|-|-|60,051| |Current|liabilities|(47,404)|-|-|(47,404)| |Non-current|liabilities|-|-|-|-| |Total Net Assets|12,647|-|-|12,647| |Comparative|information|in|respect of the preceding period|is as follows:| |Restricted|Restricted| |Unrestricted|General|Fixed|Asset|Total| |Funds|Funds|Funds|Funds| |£|£|£|£| |Tangible|fixed|assets|-|-|-|-| |Investments|-|-|-|-| |Current|assets|71,530|-|-|71,530| |Current|liabilities|(38,813)|-|-|(38,813)| |Non-current|liabilities|-|-|-|-| |Total|Net Assets|32,717|-|-|32,717|

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12. Related party transactions

There were no related party transactions in the year

13. Taxation

The charitable company is exempt for Corporation Tax on its charitable activities. The Trustees have reviewed the charity's activities and are confident that they further the company's charitable aims and as such are considered to be primary purpose trading.

  1. Pension Commitments

The charity contributes to a defined contribution pension scheme operated with the new Auto-enrolment Legislation. The assets are held and administered by the Aegon pension scheme. The pension cost charge represents contributions payable by the charity to the pension scheme and amounts to £6,889 (2024 : £7,110).

15. Donated Goods and Services

Storage facilities have been provided free of charge, an amount of £2,308 (2024: £2,308) has been included as a donation to reflect this.